Arabian Green Bee-eater

I've been visiting Ajman Wastewater Treatment Plant over the last 6 years and this year (ie the last 12 months) surpasses all previous years in variety and quantity of birds. Over this time the reed beds in particular have matured and the weaver population has thrived. To my knowledge there has always been a small, strong resident population of Streaked Weavers here and in, or before, May 2018 this was joined by a small group of Baya Weavers. Again, at the beginning of April this year (2019) the Baya Weavers returned in force and with the Streaked Weavers, were active nest builders for the next 3 months. Maximum counts (seen) were 40 Streaked and 16 Baya, although I would consider these numbers conservative. Baya Weavers, of course, are presently considered as of escape origin, but it will be interesting to see if this population can become self-sustaining over the next few years. In any case, I have had great fun watching them. I've seen many first (for me) at this site in the last 12 months including Purple Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Shikra, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Osprey, Jack Snipe, Grey Wagtail, Great Cormorant (3 have stayed through the summer), Black-eared Kite, Common Nightingale and, of course, Mark's Pheasant-tailed Jacana. I have seen a few 'escapes' here in the last 12 months (water attracts) including 3 Black Swan, a Fulvous Whistling Duck, a Yellow-crowned Bishop and a Red-billed Quelea (which joined the weavers one day). The duck and wader populations continued to thrive with good numbers in the last 12 months and I am already looking forward to their return in the next few weeks with great anticipation. This is a place where I believe anything can turn up and maybe the next 12 months will be even better...…...

Hi all, I'm thinking of stepping up from my Nikon P900 and getting a DSLR. Main reasons would be to get faster focus so I can take pictures of birds in flight and better low light performance. I looked around and am gravitating towards a Nikon D500 + Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens. I would be grateful for any opinions you might have on the topic. Specifically I am wondering: - Is Nikon significantly different from Canon in terms of focus performance? Nikon does have more AF points and I remember it was a little better 5 years ago (when I last had a DSLR) - what about Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (vs the 200-500mm)? Would the increase in range be worth moving to a non-Nikon lens? I know there's no 'right answer' but I would like to hear some opinions - what about Nikon 300mm f/4 VR (vs the 200-500mm)? Would f/4 at 300 be 'better' in practice over f/5.6 at 500? Again, i'm looking for opinions, i know there's no 'right answer' - is the D500 vs D7200 worth the upgrade? I find them for 5k vs 3.3k AED? thanks!

Hi all, I'm trying to figure out how to access this hot-spot https://ebird.org/hotspot/L9290628 I went there today but the lakes are surrounded by fence and could not find any gate. Does anybody have more info? Thanks, Vlad